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The music mogul, who is expected to invite Kelly Rowland, Gary Barlow, Tulisa and Louis Walsh back onto the show, made it clear this week what he was expecting, after a dip in ratings last summer.

"Number one is commitment, because it's not like the other shows," Simon explained.

He continued: "We do have to work three or four days a week with these contestants. So while we're not on TV, we're spending time with them and we have to make time."

Simon, who is also scouting for two new judges for the US version of the show, also said he wanted the panellists to be themselves.

He went on: "Number two is we need people who are prepared to show a different side of their personality. If I'm watching one of these shows and it's someone well known, I want to get to know the real person. So we need somebody who's brave enough to do that.

"Number three, we need someone who's competitive, because this is a competitive show, and if you don't want to win ... then it gets boring."

At the weekend Simon revealed he wouldn't hesitate in axing The X Factor after the current series if it failed to recover in the ratings, teasing that his production company were already developing a new format.